NGS

Who Is This?

I'm a girl. I live in Wisconsin with my husband. We have a cat named Zelda, a houseplant named Lindsey, an herb garden on our balcony that is always *thisclose* to being nothing more than soil, and a habit of watching Criminal Minds until way past an appropriate bedtime. I'm a grad school flunkie with leftover angsty feelings from that time in my life. I can't parallel park or ride my bike with no hands. I can teach systems of equations, though, so I feel like I've gotten a fair shake in life.

Photo Project

My best friend and I take pictures every day. Every day of the month has a different theme. Enjoy!

The premise: a guy gets stranded on Mars.
The result: he must figure out a way to survive on Mars until someone notices he's there and comes to save him.
The reason you should read it: the character of Mark Watney. He's uber smart, funny, but he's not perfect. He does idiotic things that have disastrous consequences. He's rational, but does have emotional breakdowns at times. He's likeable without being superficial.

I don't read science fiction, you might say. Give this one a shot. Skim over the bits in which Watney discusses thrust and calculates orbital velocity. Skim over the bits about ions and atoms. But read it for the humor, the reflection, and the all important question of what in the hell would you do if you were stranded on Mars.

I loved this book from the first page through to the last. It's going to go into my rotation of books to recommend to everyone (right next to Ready Player One as fun and accessible to every age and gender). Please read it!